Cyberbullying--is it criminal. Should it be?
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:09 am
I was watching some onlnie shows when I got an ad with crimedog McGruff's picture on it and a link to ncpc.org/cyberbullyging. The ad show kids saying cruel things to another kid and then at the end they saying, "If you wouldn't say it to her face, don't day it online. Delete Cyberbullying."
Maybe it's just me, but people actually did say things like that to my face as well as the occasional physical contact although it was fortunately more rare. Maybe it's just me, but adults did almost nothing to stop it save on some very rare occasions. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't try to commit suicide over it. Maybe it's just me, but it taught me that bullying, while rude and mean, isn't illegal. Maybe it's just me, but it taught me that I can't rely on others to protect me--I need to protect myself (and no, violence isn't my thing, but knowledge of basic self-defense is important both verbal and physical). Maybe it's just me, but I think bullying has made me shy, introvered, and even suspicious of strangers, but also motivated me to improve some talents above my peers (math and computers in my case) to sort of prove my worth to myself.
Is bullying wrong? Absolutely. Should it be illegal? I'm not sure. I'm not sure when it crosses the line to harasment. I'm not sure how much of it is something kids should learn to deal with themselves. I'm not sure where one draws the line between rudeness and harasment.
Maybe it's just me, but people actually did say things like that to my face as well as the occasional physical contact although it was fortunately more rare. Maybe it's just me, but adults did almost nothing to stop it save on some very rare occasions. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't try to commit suicide over it. Maybe it's just me, but it taught me that bullying, while rude and mean, isn't illegal. Maybe it's just me, but it taught me that I can't rely on others to protect me--I need to protect myself (and no, violence isn't my thing, but knowledge of basic self-defense is important both verbal and physical). Maybe it's just me, but I think bullying has made me shy, introvered, and even suspicious of strangers, but also motivated me to improve some talents above my peers (math and computers in my case) to sort of prove my worth to myself.
Is bullying wrong? Absolutely. Should it be illegal? I'm not sure. I'm not sure when it crosses the line to harasment. I'm not sure how much of it is something kids should learn to deal with themselves. I'm not sure where one draws the line between rudeness and harasment.